Whitchurch canal collapse repairs to cost millions and take 'much of the year' to complete - as plans to winch stranded boats take shape
Repairs to Whitchurch's devastated canal are likely to "cost millions" and take most of this year to complete, it has been revealed.
The comments come from Julie Sharman, chief operating officer of the Canal and River Trust following the catastrophic collapse of December 22.
In an update on the situation, and the plans for the boats stranded by the incident, Mrs Sharman said that investigations are under way into the cause of the collapse.
The shocking incident saw two boats swallowed by the 50m breach and another left teetering on the brink.
Incredibly no one was injured in the incident, although the owners of all three boats were left homeless.
A fundraiser set up to help the owners raised more than £101,114 before being closed on January 3.
In a statement on Monday (January 5) the Canal & River Trust said: "Engineers have started investigations into the likely cause of the breach although [...] chief operating officer Julie Sharman said that the cause is not always definitive.
"She explained that when you get a water path through an embankment it unravels as it goes and then it gets quite catastrophic, with the damage significant.
"Earth structures are quite complex, and whilst there are a number of thoughts as to what might be the cause, it is still too early to speculate.
"Julie also confirmed that repairs would take much of the year and cost several million pounds."
The trust said plans are now being put together to recover the three boats.
'Pacemaker', which was hanging over the breach, was pulled away using a specialist winch on December 23. It will be refloated in the coming days.
'Ganymede' and 'Sefton' have remained stuck in the breach while engineers consider how to remove them. Sefton's owner Bob Wood previously told the Shropshire Star of his lucky escape from the boat on the night of the collapse.
Dams put in by the trust either side of the breach site meant that six further boats, initially grounded on the canal bed after the water beneath them ran out of the canal, were able to be refloated on Christmas Eve.
The trust said that efforts to remove Ganymede and Sefton will require excavation work to the bank, to allow a slope for the boats to be winched along.
Explaining the way forward the trust said: "This week attention will turn to recovering the three remaining boats: narrowboat Pacemaker, winched away from the breach hole before Christmas, and narrowboats Sefton and Ganymede which were washed into the breach hole.
"Pacemaker will be refloated by winching the boat into a section of dry canal before installing a dam and refloating it with canal water.
"Sefton and Ganymede are also likely to be winched from the breach site before they are assessed and hopefully refloated.
"Before that is possible, the trust will need to bring in an excavator and carefully reprofile the steep side of the breach hole so that there is a gradual slope that the boats can be winched along."
Mrs Sharman added: “We're working out the best way to recover the boats and are likely to build a ramp for them to be towed out. It is believed Sefton was quite badly flooded, as it was the first boat that fell in and it was believed to have its doors open at the time.
"However, Ganymede is hoped to be in better condition with no sign of water breaching the vessel.”
Campbell Robb, chief executive of the Canal & River Trust, said: “The trust’s initial response was to make the site secure and ensure that boaters affected had adequate support, including those needing somewhere for them and their pets to stay.
“Then, over the Christmas period, we were able to install dams and get most of the boats impacted afloat. We were also able to get a flow of water around the breach site reinstated, so important for canal life downstream and for the vital role that this canal plays for public water supply. I’d like to thank all my charity’s colleagues and partners who have worked tirelessly over the holiday period to make these important actions happen.
“This week our attention turns to the recovery of the three remaining boats. This has been a deeply distressing time for these boat owners in particular. I’d like to thank those who have donated to the crowdfunder arranged by the boating community to support them, as well as those donating to our longer-term task of getting this historic canal back open in the weeks and months ahead. Thankfully, breaches of this scale are relatively rare, but, when they do occur, they’re expensive and complicated to fix.”
Engineers and the local canal team have been on site over Christmas and New Year working to maintain a flow of water around the breach site so boats downstream are kept afloat.
The pipes are also vital because of the role the Llangollen Canal in moving fresh water for public water supply.
